Back in the day I enjoyed the original DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem, etc. Dabbled a bit with some of the Star Wars games of that era too.

Also found quickly that role playing and strategy types were not my cup of tea. Stayed with the single FPS stuff and never developed any desire for multi-player competition. Moved on in the early '90s leaving such gaming behind.

In the decades since I pretty much confined myself to solitaire, mahjonng, and the like.

Back when I got my current computer (Dell 3847 i5-4400 3.1HGz, 8 GB RAM) I picked up Painkiller Black Edition (a FPS in the vein of the originals I cited above) to check out the integrated graphics capabilities. I quickly learned that in this newer game (2005) movements, change of tactics, and weapon selection are all required "on the run" to be successful, and were w-a-y too hard for this old man even on the easy setting.

I recently was gifted with a GTX1050 GPU for the desktop which reawakened my thoughts about a quality graphics game. So I'm posting this hoping that the community might offer suggestions as to what might be suitable for me given all the above.

GoodOldGames.com has a wide selection of ancient games for you to re-enjoy:

https://www.gog.com/

Steam does as well.

https://store.steampowered.com/games

The most popular FPS games for the last SEVERAL years have taken all the strategy out of play and it has become who has the fastest twitch reflex wins.

I will say that Arma 3 might be ok. It has a steep learning curve though, but you don't have to be the fastest to have fun. If you get this game I would suggest finding coop servers so you play in a team. Ask for advice and help. Arma players love it when someone new finds the game and most will be willing to help you find your way.

Hell, I'd be willing to jump on and show you the ropes.

If you are willing to invest some time into a game, Arc Survival Evolved might be of interest. Its not a FPS per say, but there are FPS parts to the game. I got burnt out on it though as I was playing way to much. Haven't played in about a year probably. There are PvE(player vs environment) and PvP(player vs player) servers.

Look these up on YouTube.

My recommendation is to get a gaming pad and mouse. It will make switching weapons and using skill much easier then having to look down at a keyboard for which button.

The keyboard is not really layed out well for gaming, where as the game pad will have column keys so it is easy for you to know which key your fingers are on without looking. It also makes every weapon/skill fully mappable to whatever location you want.

It will increase your skill/fun playing more modern games.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
The most popular FPS games for the last SEVERAL years have taken all the strategy out of play and it has become who has the fastest twitch reflex wins.

That's my perception and lament.

I appreciate the suggestions and will explore them, although multi-player stuff doesn't really hold much appeal for this old man.

One question remains. I don't quite understand this Steam business. Is it a marketing model or a requirement to be connected to their servers to play a game even in single player mode? Or both?

quote:

Originally posted by Nickelsig229:
My recommendation is to get a gaming pad and mouse.

One of my sons has offered up a spare unused Logitech F310 gamepad.

I haven't had a purposely built gaming PC for about 8 years now, but when I did I used to play the hell out of the Call of Duty games. I never got into the Battlefield games, but I've read/heard good things about them as well. I used to love playing Quake; that was a long time ago. From what I remember of Painkiller, that was supposed to be a good game. Because of my kids, we've had console systems for awhile now, but I hardly play; there are just too many other things demanding my time. I'm sure you'll find something that suits you.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
The most popular FPS games for the last SEVERAL years have taken all the strategy out of play and it has become who has the fastest twitch reflex wins.

That's my perception and lament.

I appreciate the suggestions and will explore them, although multi-player stuff doesn't really hold much appeal for this old man.

One question remains. I don't quite understand this Steam business. Is it a marketing model or a requirement to be connected to their servers to play a game even in single player mode? Or both?

W/ regards to Steam,
When it was new I didn't like it. I didn't like it running in the background updating all the time and slowing down my (already slow)computer.
Years later, now, I do really like it.
1)It allows me to own a game but not have to babysit the discs. I can download the games to my multiple computers.

2)It has resurrected many older games and made them (mostly) work on newer OS's. One of my favorites that I used to start in Dosbox, doing the stupid commands, was Master of Orion. Steam integrated Dosbox so I don't have to mess w/ that anymore. The game starts up for me w/ no fuss.

3)It does have an Offline mode that will let you run single player games.

4)Older games get updates to streamline them. I play the old Age of Empires II w/ a couple buddies and it makes connecting w/ them very easy. I think Steam had a sale and we each got the updated HD version for like $3.99.

5)My buddy is in Cancun right now and Steam has a chat and voice program that makes it easy to chat.

Steam can be as much or as little as you want.

If you just want to use it as an online store where you can buy games and download them, it has you covered.

If you want to use it for multiplayer, or for chatting, it has you covered.

It has an offline mode, so once you download a game you do not have to be connected to their servers to play the game.

I'll throw the Far Cry games out there as well for you to try. Far Cry 3 is old enough that you should be able to run it with just about any dedicated video card. It is much less of a twitch game - there are firefights, but there is a lot more strategy involved in taking down outposts. Go loud or go silent, your choice.

Good luck!

I think you need a PlayStation or Xbox.
Grandkids say it is easier to play games when you have a controller rather than a keyboard.

quote:

Originally posted by Greymann:
I think you need a PlayStation or Xbox.
Grandkids say it is easier to play games when you have a controller rather than a keyboard.

Getting used to the thumb sticks is the biggest PITA, and I'm sure I aim more quickly with a mouse.

That said, I've switched to consoles for my shoot 'em ups and I doubt I'll ever get another PC with gaming in mind.

I used to play the original HALO with a flight sim type joystick. Yes, you read that correctly. Point is you can find a way around, or get used to just about anything.

True dat.

I'm a mouse and keyboard guy, but I absolutely cannot drive in a game with a mouse and keyboard. I have to have a gamepad for that.

So for games like Saint's Row and GTA, I have the dual setup - I use the gamepad for running and driving, and when the guns come out I go back to the mouse and keyboard.

I have tried shooting with a gamepad, and it is just not going to happen.

I left FPS behind, call of duty broke me.

I am now a big fan of World of Tanks. I have a lot of fun with it.

redstone, which Call of Duty was it?

They all kept moving more toward the multiplayer.

The one where I said "fuck it" was one of the modern ones....Black Ops maybe?

Too much extra shit, too many weapons...

Yep, I'm out.

But there is still good stuff out there - Oh, bald1, try Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

You can get your shooting on with no stupid twitch needed!

Here's where I'm at:

Painkiller Black Edition that I mentioned in my opening post remains a bit more than I can handle which is somewhat frustrating.

Picked up Return to Castle Wolfenstein in homage to my ~25 years earlier games playing. Still getting adjusted to the controls, some of which aren't working properly for me (like the ' USE key). No clue why, although I suspect Win10. Maybe this mod will help... dunno (https://www.moddb.com/mods/realrtcw-realism-mod). Not so sure this FPS is going to be any better than Painkiller is for me and my old man reflexes.

And as a newbie member deal from GOG.com, picked up the Role-Playing / FPS / SciFi Deus Ex GOTY and added the recommended 2017 GMDX upgrade (https://www.moddb.com/mods/gmdx/downloads/gmdxv90-release). Looks to be a much more moderately paced deal which may prove to be a blessing. It works fine on my Win10 / i5-4440 3.1GHz / 8GB RAM / GTX1050-2GB / 1900x1280 VESA 1080p 16:10 System.

Others like Atlantic Fleet look interesting but I've already enough on my plate to explore for the interim.

Again I appreciate all the comments and suggestions offered here. <Thumbs Up>

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

quote:

Originally posted by furlough:
redstone, which Call of Duty was it?

They all kept moving more toward the multiplayer.

The one where I said "fuck it" was one of the modern ones....Black Ops maybe?

Too much extra shit, too many weapons...

Yep, I'm out.

But there is still good stuff out there - Oh, bald1, try Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

You can get your shooting on with no stupid twitch needed!

I was pretty involved through Infinite Warfare, but by that point it was a labor of love. I purchased WWII and that is where I called it and moved on.
$99 for a game, but I need to buy loot boxes to be competitive. Nope I'm out.

Been surprised at the enthusiasts community for Deus Ex. The two iterations of GMDX add enhancements and improvements to the original Deus Ex Game Of The Year. They remain separate on your hard disk which is nice for a number of reasons. The v10 mod/tweak updated as of yesterday!

Both the COD2 and COD4 are demos which have a full level of single player play.

Oh and I got Return to Castle Wolfenstein control issues fixed.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

GOG.com will drain your wallet but it's a great place to buy old games updated for modern machines. Most titles are very cheap.

I like Far Cry and the SWAT games. If you like real time strategy,.. or would like to try it,... give the Close Combat games a try.

V.

World of Warships. Still fun.

KevinCW, World of Warships is a multiplayer game if I'm not mistaken which is a non-starter for me.

Well at over 70 I'm finding I'm fumble-f**king controls on most all these games. You can't afford to pause to figure out what key to stroke so my frustration with these newer FPS is growing.

Was looking at the Linux Mint software library on my ancient Vostro 1000 laptop and found a couple of old school games that "tickled" me. Went to my Win10 desktop and D/Led them (all free) and am having fun again. LOL

-- Neverball https://neverball.org/
Tilt the floor to roll a ball through an obstacle course before time runs out.
-- Armegetron Advanced http://www.armagetronad.org/
A Tron clone
-- SuperTuxKart https://supertuxkart.net/Main_Page
Arcade racer

[Doesn't hurt to have a few martinis while playing Neverball... get dizzy and laugh my butt off! Yeah as an old retired fart I'm easily amused! LOL ]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,